New Yew | Transformational Massage Grand Rapids Michiganhttps://newyewhealing.com Transformational Massage Therapy for a New You.Fri, 05 Jun 2020 22:11:53 +0000en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.139357191Pandemic Ponderings Part 3: Lessons and Losshttps://newyewhealing.com/pandemic-ponderings-part-3-lessons-and-loss/ https://newyewhealing.com/pandemic-ponderings-part-3-lessons-and-loss/#respondFri, 05 Jun 2020 22:11:37 +0000https://newyewhealing.com/?p=7458*This post was planned and outlined prior to the death of George Floyd and the civil unrest that resulted. On June 1st I made a very public statement about that situation on my business facebook page. Follow the link if you’d like to read it.

I just checked and I’ve only been at home for 89 days (as of this writing ) even though it feels like 1,642. Many of you have gone back to work, some never stopped working, some are unable to return just yet, and some of you are working from home for the first time and your home isn’t set up for that. Add to that the lack of ability to just get out of the house and go somewhere for a while, and the fact that some people are caring for elders and/or children 24/7 now, with no school and the extra vulnerability the elderly faced either on their own or in nursing homes. Whew. We’re all dealing with a lot.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve learned a lot about myself, my family, my neighborhood, and my extended network of friends, acquaintances, and colleagues during the long days of lockdown.

Pandemic Losses

Whenever I reflect on the past 3 months, the first things that come to mind are the losses. Not just mine, but everyone’s. Every single person has lost something, even if it’s just a sense of normalcy. Some have lost more than others, but it’s not a contest. And it’s sure not a contest anyone ought to set out to win.

I often find myself grateful for my losses, no matter how painful, because I know they could have been much, much greater. A slightly different decision a decade ago or 9 months ago could have resulted in my being in a much different situation right now.

I’ve been thinking a lot about these losses in particular:

Identity – Without work, many of us feel incomplete. Many of us feel like we don’t even know who we are because our work comprises so much of our identity. We might want to work on that as we move through the pandemic and try to find a new normal on the other side… whenever that may be. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all cultivate a deeper connection to who we truly are at our core. It won’t be easy and it won’t be pleasant, but none of this pandemic stuff is easy or pleasant so what better time to get messy with ourselves than when everything else is messy too. That said, if you’re too busy just trying to survive or keep the kids or elder parents alive, that’s ok. Those things must be a priority.

Income – As I write this, something like 40 million people are unemployed. Many of them, for one reason or another, are not eligible for unemployment. In some areas of the country, people who were eligible applied for unemployment back in April and still haven’t seen a dime. Without money, it’s impossible to survive in our society. Every day, I read about more local, regional, and national businesses that are filing bankruptcy or simply announcing that they won’t be re-opening. Many of those business owners and their employees are now without an income. With fewer businesses re-opening and some, like restaurants, re-opening at 1/4 or 1/2 capacity to abide by public health measures, that means fewer jobs are available for those who are looking for work.

Healthcare – Because health insurance is tied to employment in this country, most of the unemployed people now have no healthcare in the middle of a global pandemic. As we used to say in college, “That’s FUBAR’d.” (F**cked Up Beyond All Recognition – don’t ask me why we put the d on the end. I don’t know; we just did.)

Security – Without jobs or income, paying for housing and food is impossible. When food and housing are insecure or unstable or non-existent our very survival is at stake.

If you think these losses are causing a sh*t ton of stress, you’d be right. In normal times, I help people release and manage their stresses. But these are not normal times and these stresses, while very common right now, are not normal for our society.

If you’ve experienced one or more of these losses, please know you’re not alone and it’s not your fault.

Lessons From the Stay-at-Home Couch

As I said in the intro, I’ve learned a lot during this forced downtime. Here are the highlights:

Alone time – If you need a lot of “me time” to feel centered and peaceful, or to just feel human, you probably didn’t get enough during the lockdown. Or you got way too much. I’ve heard no one say that they got just enough me time.

Together time/socializing – If you need to spend a lot of time around other people to be happy and energized, you probably didn’t get anywhere near enough. Or, if you had a fuller than normal house, you might have gotten way too much or the wrong kind of together time. Even my fellow introverts (many of whom are more introverted than me) have said they’ve missed the need or ability to cancel plans. Sometimes making plans is all the togetherness we introverts need, but it does make us feel connected. So even we (or most of us) didn’t get enough socializing.

No one is immune to depression – High levels of stress can cause situational depression and a lot of us experienced some form of it during lockdown. It might look like being unable to log off social media or stop playing the games on your phone long enough to clean the thing that disgusts you every time you see it. It might look like not being able to problem solve, or having memory issues, or having trouble finding the words you want. It might manifest as binge watching a bunch of shows you don’t really like, buying a bunch of stuff you can’t afford or don’t need, reading everything you can find on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, avoiding all mention of the virus, or sleeping a lot more or less than normal. It also might manifest as numbing yourself with alcohol and/or marijuana (only in states where it’s legal, of course), not returning phone calls and texts, or not initiating contact with people you normally stay in touch with like friends, family, clients, and colleagues.

Anxiety can affect anyone – You know what I said about high levels of stress and depression? Well, the same is true of anxiety. Many of us experienced some form of situational anxiety, especially as employment situations and finances became shaky and changed in negative ways. It often showed up as us taking charge of something, or everything – we had zero control over the virus so we were gonna make sure we had control over something, dammit. It might have taken the form of rearranging all the kitchen cupboards, decluttering or cleaning the entire house top to bottom, completely re-doing the landscaping, or micromanaging the running of your household.

We are more resourceful than we thought – After the initial shock wore off, most of us found that we were able to make do with things we had or could get vs how we did things pre-pandemic. Many of us found we were craftier than we thought (not me, but many others) and made our own face masks. We found that we didn’t need a gym to work out in, we could find other cheaper and available alternatives for working out. Some people finally planted a small vegetable garden in their yard or a window box full of herbs. Some people went online and learned new skills, or worked on starting or growing a meditation practice.

When push comes to shove, even the luddites can learn a little tech – For the last 3 months if you’ve wanted to see friends and family who don’t live with you, you’ve needed the help of technology. Many an adult child managed to teach their luddite parents or grandparents the basics of how to use Zoom or FaceTime to keep in touch with them. (One friend of mine even wrote a very funny poem about it.)

ZOOM is simultaneously the devil and a god-send – Honestly, thank god for ZOOM (and GoToMeeting and all the others). It’s allowed thousands of people to continue working from home during the pandemic instead of going into the office like they used to. It’s also caused a huge number of new memes about people who didn’t quite grasp how it worked. And, let’s face it… it also made for some very funny (albeit potentially embarassing) video footage of some of those people. But… if you’ve been on a ZOOM call in the last 3 months you also know the frustration of people who don’t mute themselves (or even know how to), have their computer (and it’s camera) set so that everyone is looking up their nose, don’t realize they have to unmute themselves to talk, or any number of other frustrating scenarios.

Cooking and eating are a balm – There’s no doubt that people have been cooking and eating a lot differently (read: more) during lockdown. Most of us have been cooking more as a way to save money in uncertain times, but I think there’s more to the pandemic food phenomenon than that. If it were just that, there wouldn’t have been such an explosion of the hashtags #pandemiccooking and #pandemicbaking on social media. Food has a way of making us feel comforted and nurtured whether we’re preparing it, eating it, or both. I think if we’re honest with ourselves, many of us weren’t getting enough comfort and nurturing pre-pandemic, so when we all found ourselves faced with overwhelming uncertainty we flocked to the universal source of both: food.

I want to end with one last lesson:

We can do hard things – Thanks to Glennon Doyle for that mantra. If you haven’t read her books or don’t follow her on social media, you need to. I’m just saying. We are stronger than we thought and many of us learned that, or are starting to learn that because of the pandemic.

Many of the states that had imposed some form of shelter in place order are starting to open back up. With businesses re-opening to the public there’s a lot of talk about keeping customers, clients, and employees safe. Emails and websites are filled with long lists of what businesses are doing to make sure that it’s safe for everyone to be there. I applaud their safety efforts, but some seem more rigorous than others. So today I want to talk about safety vs safety theater.

Are They Really Keeping You Safe?

I honestly believe that most business owners want to keep their employees and customers or clients safe. But there are problems:

We are still learning new things about the virus on a regular basis, such as new signs and symptoms, new complications, new populations that are affected, new organs and systems that are affected, and new chronic problems people who’ve recovered may face for the rest of their life.

COVOD units in hospitals are still experiencing a shortage of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment)

Demand for EPA approved disinfectants is high, consequently they are in short supply

There are purchase limits on EPA disinfectants from most suppliers (especially retail stores and companies that sell to microbusinesses like mine)

We still lack adequate testing (for both antigens (infection) and antibodies (recovery/possible immunity)

We still lack adequate contact tracing

PPE, disinfectants, increased cleaning/disinfection schedules, fewer people allowed in at a time, and increased time between clients to allow time for proper disinfection cost money. Lots of money. Money that may (or may not – depending on the business) be hard to come by if they’ve been paying to keep their business location without having paying customers for the last 2 months.

Safety

I want to start with the measures that we know will keep people safe and what that looks like in a business setting. Safety in a grocery store might look different than at a restaurant or bar, which will definitely look different than at a spa, or at a massage or chiropractic office. I’m going to limit myself to service and healthcare businesses since that’s what I know. Good safety measures include:

Social Distancing – The virus is spread via respiratory droplets which fall to the ground within 6 feet under normal circumstancesn although sneezes, coughs, singing, and yelling can propel them much further. Staying 6 feet away from other people (that you do not share living space with) is considered best practice among public health experts, virologists, and epidemiologists. Policies that support social distancing include:

Fewer people allowed in the business at any one time to allow a minimum of 6 feet between customers or clients

Removal of lobby spaces where people congregate before services

Asking clients or patients to wait in their cars until the provider is ready and sends them a text saying they may now enter the building

Staggered service times to prevent a scrum at the door (i.e. you don’t have 10 people all arriving for their 11am appointment at the same time)

Longer hours to accomodate staggered start times and increased disinfection procedures (more on that in a bit)

No Handshakes or Hugs – Self-explanatory. You can’t practice social distancing while doing either of these.

Face Masks – Like I said above, this virus is spread via respiratory droplets. Face masks help contain your droplets so they don’t infect anyone else. Since we know that some people my have the virus but never have symptoms (be asymptomatic) and that people may have the virus up to 14 days prior to having symptoms (be presymptomatic) it’s important to stay masked when you’re around people you do not share living space with. Remember, while the mask may only provide a small amount of protection to you, the purpose of wearing one is to protect others. To be safe, look for policies that include all of the following:

All staff must wear face masks

All customers or clients must wear face masks

Face masks must cover both nose and mouth

Face masks must be worn at all times

Bonus if providers change face masks between each client, although you will likely have no way of knowing this is happening without asking unless they have signs in the building or a put statement on their website or in an email.

Hand Washing or Use of Hand Sanitizer – We know that the best way to prevent the spread of the SARS CoV-2 virus (along with not touching your face) is frequent and thorough hand washing for at least 20 seconds. When hand washing isn’t an option, the use of hand sanitizer for a minimum of 20 seconds is the second best option. You should see policies like these:

All customers, guests, or patients must wash their hands or use hand sanitizer when entering the building or office

Both clients and practitioners must wash hands or use hand sanitizer before entering the treatment room if there’s any lag time between entering the building/office/suite and entering the treatment room

Practitioners mush wash hands or use sanitizer immediately before starting a service or treatment

Practitioners mush wash hands or use sanitizer immediately after completing a service or treatment

Clients/patients must wash or sanitize hands after their treatment before checking out or leaving, especially if their hands were treated or touched by the practitioner or if they had to change/take off clothes for the treatment and need to change back into street clothes afterward

Clients must wash or sanitize their hands immediately before removing facemask (for work in the mouth or near the jaw) and immediately after replacing it when the work is complete

Gloves – If the practitioner is going to do any type of work inside your mouth, they need to wash or sanitize their hands immediately before donning a new pair of disposable gloves. When finished, they need to take them off properly (meaning the end up inside out without actually touching the outer surface) and immediately wash or sanitize their hands before touching you again.

Goggles – If there’s going to be work done inside the mouth or near the jaw, or if your facemask will need to be removed for any reason, the practitioner needs to be wearing goggles, in addition to any eyeglasses they may normally wear.

Thorough and Frequent Disinfection – Although this virus is spread primarily through respiratory droplets while they’re still in the air, it is possible to contract the virus from inanimate objects. For this reason, treatment rooms will need to be properly and thoroughly disinfected (not just cleaned) before the first client of the day, between each client, and after the last client of the day. Feel free to ask about disinfection policies such as frequency of and items disinfected if they have not supplied you with that information in some way. Some of the surfaces that will need to be disinfected include:

Door handles, door frames, and the surface of each side of the door

Chairs that either of you sat on

Anything you put your clothes or belongings on or in

The surface or covering of the massage table and face rest (after placing all linens into the dirty linen hamper/basket)

All bolsters that were used or touched

The legs of the massage table

The face cradle frame

The stool surface, legs, and adjusting lever

The control for the table warmer (if adjusted during the session)

The music device controls (if adjusted during the session)

All oil, lotion, or gel bottles or tubes that are touched during the session

Any surface the oil, lotion, or gel bottles were placed on while in use

The bottle of hand sanitizer (Yes, for real)

The tissue box (or, hopefully, the pretty plastic cover which will be easier to disinfect than a cardboard box)

The Towel cabbie doors and handles (if used during the session)

Computer keyboard and/or track pad

Any electronic device used during check in, session, or check out including tablets, iPods, styluses, and cell phones

The floor

Toilet flush handle

Sink faucets and handles

Contactless payment options – We know that this virus can spread via contact with others or the things they’ve touched. This includes credit cards, credit card processing terminal key pads, as well as pens and styluses. Due to the nature of many credit card processing terminals and their associated contracts and costs, it may not be easy or financially feasible to add the ability to accept contactless payments if a business didn’t take them prior to the shut down. That said, there are many ways to mitigate the risk associated with taking payment. Some of them include:

Accept Apple and Google Pay

Accept contactless credit cards (Yep, some banks have been sending these out for at least a year when cards are approaching their expiration date)

Accept Venmo, Cash App, or Pay Pal transfers

Wipe down/ disinfect the credit card processor’s stylus and keypad after every transaction

Safety Theater

Many businesses will engage in a bit of safety theater when they reopen, hopefully in addition to the necessary things I listed above. This doesn’t mean that they’re intentionally misleading you, it just means that these things don’t make us as safe as some people think. Here’s my short list of things that aren’t the best measure of safety:

Taking temperatures – Yes, one of the main symptoms of COVID-19 is a fever, or temperature greater than 100.4 degrees. However, this safety step only indicates whether someone has a fever, not whether they have and are shedding the SARS CoV-2 virus. While you definitely don’t want anyone in the building who has a fever, there is some debate on whether you can force someone to have their temperature taken if you’re not a doctor’s office offering care for the cause of their fever. So, taking temps is fine as long as everything in the safety section is also being done and people are not allowed in if they either have a fever or refuse to have their temperature taken. If that’s not the case, this is nothing more than theater.

Disinfecting shoes – Can we track the virus into building on the bottoms of our shoes? Yes. The question to ask is, how likely is a virus tracked in via shoes going to make us sick? Unless we’re licking our shoes or eating off the floor, it’s not likely; especially if the floor is being disinfected after every client. Yes, that means there’s no 5 second rule anymore. Sorry.

Muscle testing for COVID-19 infection – This is gonna be a hot button issue but it can’t be helped. First off, let me say that I’ve used muscle testing and had some good results with it when both parties were objective. However, muscle testing can be gamed or influenced both intentionally and unintentionally. I’ve intentionally tried to influence a test as both the tester and the testee, just to see if I could. Spoiler alert: I influenced it each and every time I tried. I’ve also unintentionally influenced the testing with my own biases. It would be SO easy for a struggling business owner or practitioner who needs to see as many clients as possible, to want/need their clients to be healthy so badly, that everyone tests strong/healthy. I know the testing situation out there is a far cry from what it should be in both quantity and quality, but this is not a replacement for an actual COVID-19 test. This is nothing more than theater. SorryNotSorry.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of safety measures that can be undertaken but it does cover the most common steps that owners and practitioners are taking to keep everyone safe. As more places open and you begin to venture out more, please be aware of which measures those businesses are taking and make an informed decision as to whether to return just yet.

Missing People

It’s been 7 weeks since I’ve given a massage to anyone but my husband. No offense to my beloved, but that’s not enough for me. I really miss doing massage. I miss my clients. I miss the feeling of being a productive member of society.

So, why haven’t I written any blog posts or sent any emails since the shutdown? Well, to be honest, I just didn’t know what to say. I spent most of the first few weeks reading whatever I could about the virus. It was crazy. We were learning new things almost daily there for a while. If your inbox was anything like mine, you were getting dozens of emails a day with subject lines mentioning “COVID-19 Updates and Policies”. It seemed some companies were sending these out daily because their policies were changing daily as new information became available. I didn’t think anyone needed anymore of those than they were already getting.

I also spent a fair amount of time trying to find disinfectants and toilet paper. But then didn’t we all. Aren’t we still?

Honestly, those 3 things still take up a great deal of my time. Except when they don’t, like when I have virus fatigue and need to get out of my head and off my computer. At those times, I pick up a book, go outside for a walk, or make lots of yummy food from scratch. Sometimes I turn on the TV and watch something silly or play a game or 10 on my phone. I’ve even taken a few continuing education classes online. Then I go back to finding new information from virologists, epidemiologists, and pandemic disease experts because I need to know as much as I can about this virus in order to make the best decision about when to re-open my massage practice. (Hint: It probably won’t be as soon as the state allows it. Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.)

Some days/weeks I spend so much time reading and looking for info that I feel like I’ve become a hermit. Then I remember we’re all hermits because there’s a shelter in place order in effect throughout the state.

Buying Things

I’ve also been doing a lot of thinking about shopping the last couple months. Not because I love shopping (I don’t) but because it’s changed so drastically. I never expected to go to the grocery store and see so many empty shelves. It’s totally insane and it’s changed the way I shop. I’ve altered the time of day I shop in the hopes of getting to a store while they still have a few cans or packages of some highly sought after item. I also find myself shopping (and paying more) for things like flour and other staples at small, neighborhood markets. I don’t like paying more, but I love supporting the small local stores (they need all the help they can get right now) and I like having flour, sugar, and unsalted butter in the house, even if they aren’t the brands I used to buy.

There are a lot of other changes as well. Every store now has a plexiglass shield between you and the cashier, who’s now wearing gloves and wiping down the credit card machine between each customer. Bottle returns are closed and you can’t bring your own bag to the store. We sometimes have to line up to get in the store because they’re limiting the number of people who can be inside at one time. There are X’s or some other type of marking to help remind us to stay at least 6 feet away from the people in line with us. Aisles have become one-way, complete with arrows taped on the floor to remind you which way you’re supposed to be going. And we’re asked to wear face masks while in public buildings.

Grocery delivery services and curbside pickup with online payment are hugely popular now. In a pandemic having no or very limited contact with other people is definitely the way to go. For those who are at greatest risk from the virus, it’s the only way to go. The delivery services even offer to call you when they get to your house, put your groceries on the porch, and leave. Contactless grocery delivery. Hell, there’s even contactless pizza delivery, which as an introvert, I fully support.

Online shopping has gone from a convenience for many to a necessity for most. Rip a hole in your jeans? Better order a new pair online because the clothing stores are closed. At high risk from the virus? You’d better shop online to stay safe. Depressed and can’t go shopping because the stores are all closed? Online retail therapy to the rescue. Can’t find what you need/want in the stores because they’re all out? Try finding it online.

The newest change I’m seeing is that fewer people are bringing purses and wallets into stores with them so they don’t have to wipe them down when they get home. Count me among those who’ve jumped on that bandwagon. (Any excuse to not carry a purse.) Now, I simply put my driver’s license and debit card in my pocket when I go to the store. Many places are even encouraging contactless forms of payment. More on that below.

Going Forward

I don’t know what the future holds. To be fair, we never really know, but this pandemic has shone a bright light on just how tenuous our grasp of the future can ever be. I don’t know how many of these changes will remain when this is all over and we find our new normal.

I do know that I just got an email from my salon to prepare me for their (hopeful) re-opening on May 28th. In addition to physical changes to their space, scheduling changes, increased open hours to accommodate fewer clients at a time, and the removal of chairs from their lobby, they’ve laid out a new payment policy which is primarily contactless.

I have a feeling that that might be one of the changes that sticks around after all this is over – contactless payment.

If you’ve ever left your credit card in my office after paying for a massage (it happens more often than you might think) or could get used to not carrying a purse or wallet (I know I could) this could be a change for the better. As much as I dislike carrying a purse and wallet, you’d think I’d have my Apple Wallet all set up, right? Nah. Old habits die hard. Besides, I wasn’t sure about the security of those new fangled ways of paying and hadn’t gotten around to Googling it yet.

Turns out, Apple Pay and Google Pay and other forms of contactless payments are actually safer than using your chip card in a reader. They all use a one time token to send the payment request but… when you stick your card in a reader, the store has access to your card number, it’s even printed on your receipt like this ****-****-****-1234. When you use a contactless form of payment, the store doesn’t have access to your card number. As credit/debit card fraud seems to be on the rise, this might be a great option whether there’s a plague or not.

Like I said, I don’t know what the future holds except that I’m going to start using contactless payment methods going forward and encourage others to do the same.

Next time, I’ll share a few thoughts on safety theater vs true safety.

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe counts massage therapy as a crucial part of her all-too-necessary recovery regimen to allow her muscles time to heal after a hard day of training or a tough game. And remember those round red marks on Michael Phelps? Professional athletes often work with massage therapists before, during and after training and competition.

While you may not get a paycheck for completing your favorite workout or playing on a rec league team regular massage therapy can benefit your training and well being.

While Training

It’s normal for new aches and pains to pop up when you start a new activity. More aches may present themselves as you work to increase your endurance and strength. Regular massage can help you stay ahead of any issues that could slow down your training. Massage therapy keeps you in touch with how your body feels so you can adjust your training as needed and stay on track.

Before a Race or Game

Are you feeling anxious about a big upcoming race? A massage can help calm your nerves and has been proven to reduce anxiety and stress. Many athletes use massage before and after a competition to make sure they’re feeling relaxed, confident, self-possessed, and ready to conquer before, and then to aid in recovery after. After all, so much of what we do as athletes is a mental game. It makes sense to train your muscles and your brain, right?

Here’s the kicker though: Like a tough workout, massage can sometimes leave you feeling sore or achy. And that’s totally normal. But this means that you don’t want to get a deep tissue massage the day before your first marathon.

It’s recommended that if you want to get a massage to feel on top of your mental game before a big competition, that you do so 3 to 5 days beforehand. This gives you time to “recover” after the massage and to be completely ready to compete mentally and physically.

To Aid in Recovery

If you’re a weekend warrior on the court or on the track, you’ve probably experienced delayed-onset muscle soreness. It’s that awful stiffness and pain you feel in the day or two after vigorous exercise.

For the Long Term

Generally, massage can help improve your performance as an athlete- even if you just do it to have fun or stay in shape. According to the American Massage Therapy Association, massage can help with exercise and athletic participation in many ways, including the following:

Reduce muscle tension and increase relaxation

Monitor muscle tone and improve exercise performance

Increase range of motion and improve soft tissue function

Support recovery of heart rate and diastolic blood pressure after exercise

Decrease muscle stiffness and fatigue

Improved flexibility

And even decrease the risk of injury when massage is regularly performed

Working with a qualified massage therapist can help you learn more about how your body works. You can prevent injury by making the muscles more pliable. And a massage therapist who knows what they’re doing will cater their massage techniques to the specific kind of work that you are doing in the gym or on the track, to keep the muscles you are using in tip-top shape.

Whether you’re working towards a marathon or a Crossfit competition, or you just love getting sweaty and getting stronger, it’s time for us to chat. Contact me today, and let’s talk about how tailored and targeted massage sessions can make a huge difference in how you approach your favorite hobby. Looking to hit a new personal record, or trying to build muscle mass? Massage can help you get there.

You finally have an opening in your schedule so you go online to schedule a massage with your favorite massage therapist only to find they don’t have any openings that day. Gah! I hate it when that happens. I know you do too. But did you know that you might be able to get a massage after all?

Standby Scheduling

If your therapist has a cancellation list, you should definitely get on it. Will it guarantee that you’ll be able to get an appointment? No. But… if you’ve ever flown standby, you weren’t guaranteed a seat then, either, but you did it because you wanted to go somewhere and it was the quickest way to (hopefully) get there.

Here’s the thing: If you don’t let your therapist know that you’re available and would like to be called if they get a cancellation, you definitely won’t get a massage. Heck, you may get lucky and they may let you know that while they don’t have, say, an hour available, they can fit you in for 30 minutes. You might never have known that if you hadn’t reached out. And while 30 minutes isn’t nearly as great as 60, it sure beats the heck outta nothing.

If that doesn’t convince you, here are a few times where I was either glad to have a cancellation list, or sad that I didn’t:

A client had a weird scheduling glitch and showed up a week, day, or several hours early (this has happened a few times), but was unable to make their actual appointment date/time

A regular who never cancels had a family emergency

Someone’s headache pain escalated so they went to the doctor and were admitted to the hospital with a serious issue leaving their appointment spot wide open

A client was in a car crash on their way to work and totaled their car, leaving them with no way to get to their appointment

A client’s kids were sick and they had to keep them home from school and stay home to take care of them

Someone’s mom was in a serious accident and they had to rush out of town leaving their appointment open

So you see, there are times it can work out for you to be on the cancellation list.

If you always have a particular day and time free, consider asking if you can be on the permanent list for that day/time. You’ll be under no obligation to take an appointment if your therapist texts or calls, but you’ll get first dibs on your favorite day/time.

When you think of massage therapy, what comes to mind? Perhaps you consider those aches and pains in your shoulders and neck, or maybe your sore, tired, or swollen legs, or even a way you can cope with excess stress.

However, the therapeutic nature of massage therapy extends far beyond just relieving stiff muscles or alleviating stress and anxiety.

You can actually ease the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome with massage therapy.

So what exactly is carpal tunnel syndrome? Why do certain people develop carpal tunnel syndrome? And how does massage therapy improve your life if you are dealing with the pain and discomfort of carpal tunnel?

What is Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a fairly common condition that affects the hand and wrist. It causes pain, numbness, tingling and weakness. This happens when there is an increase in pressure in the wrist, which compresses a nerve known as the median nerve, which runs through the wrist.

This median nerve is what allows your thumb, middle finger, index finger and even part of your ring finger to sense things and receive impulses from the brain and nervous system. While it does not affect your small “pinky” finger, carpal tunnel syndrome impacts much of the hand, and beyond the pain and discomfort it causes, it can impact your work and personal life too.

Carpal tunnel syndrome affects as many as 10 million Americans, and while it’s very treatable, many suggested remedies include surgery, painkillers and splints, which are temporary fixes and highly invasive or mask the problem rather than dealing with it.

With carpal tunnel syndrome, not only do you lose range of motion, but as a result of the pain and stiffness, muscles in the hand and thumb begin to atrophy, and basic skills become harder and harder to accomplish.

What Is the Carpal Tunnel?

Your carpal tunnel is a small pathway through which the median nerve and several tendons run from your wrist to your hand. It helps connect the hand to the forearm. Think of it as a railway tunnel, and the median nerve and tendons are the train tracks that run through it. When the tunnel is compressed or experiences pressure, it can affect the railroad tracks that run through it.

Symptoms of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

There are a few other, similar conditions that may be confused with carpal tunnel syndrome. So how do you know if it’s actually carpal tunnel syndrome? Here are a few signs to watch for:

Hand and wrist pain

A burning sensation located in the middle and index fingers

Numbness in the thumb and fingers

A sensation like an electric shock that runs through the wrist and hand

Insensitivity to heat and cold

Who Is at Risk of Developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome?

There is a common misconception that only factory workers who perform repetitive motions for hours each day or office workers who spend hours typing at their desks can get carpal tunnel.

The truth? It can affect anyone who uses their hand or wrist over and over again in the same way and can be caused by work or play. In fact, you can develop carpal tunnel syndrome from playing video games.

So who is at a higher risk for developing carpal tunnel syndrome?

Women are three times more likely to develop carpal tunnel syndrome than men, probably because their carpal tunnels are narrower.

People with diabetes or other metabolic disorders that affect the body’s nerves have more likelihood of compression.

Adults over the age of 20 also are at higher risk.

Other important things to know? It is especially common in people who work with their hands: those performing assembly line work (because of the repetitive nature of the work), those in the manufacturing business, those who sew or spend a lot of time with tools like hammers or wrenches, and those in the meat, fish and poultry packing business.

How Massage Therapy Can Help

Carpal tunnel syndrome can require many different kinds of treatment, including surgery, to address the pain and numbness. Massage therapy is a highly effective method for dealing with carpal tunnel syndrome. There is a significant, measurable change in symptoms and severity for those who received massage therapy for their carpal tunnel syndrome.

And it’s non-invasive and cost-effective and will get you back to work (or play) in no time.

Through our work together in massage therapy sessions, I can apply techniques to help break down any existing scar tissue, release compression in your carpal tunnel and median nerve, and restore elasticity and strength to your wrist, fingers and hand.

Massage therapy sessions also can work to reduce friction in areas that are inflamed—areas with chronic compression or pain.

My work is focused on alleviating these issues that come along with carpal tunnel syndrome. Massage therapy is there to lessen your symptoms, ease your pain and increase your grip strength all at once, without surgery or painkillers.

Don’t let your issues with carpal tunnel stand between you and the rest of your life. Let me help you discover a non-invasive, therapeutic approach to lifting your carpal tunnel-related pain, discomfort and numbness

If you’ve ever battled lower back pain, you know how nagging and exhausting it can be.

Pain medications can be dangerous to take for extended periods (and frequently only dull the pain, instead of dealing with it), relief found from injections is ineffective or short-lived, and some therapies can even make your lower back pain worse. Surely there’s something you can do to rid yourself of this pain.

You’re not alone in this pain. In fact, at least 80% of adults will deal with lower back pain at some point in their life. So how can we work to free you of this pain if most of these treatments are ineffective? Good news: You don’t have to give in and deal with this pain. There are solutions out there.

There must be something your doctor can prescribe that can cut through lower back pain, right? If this is so common, surely there is a solid, proven fix!

Unfortunately, there is no one solution and it typically takes a combination of efforts and time to get through an episode of pain.

Pain medications – Pain killers and certain types of muscle relaxers can be helpful short-term to relieve debilitating pain and help you get a good night’s sleep when you’re hurting from an injury or ‘my back went out!’ incident.But long-term usage of prescription pain medications is not a great management option. And long-term use of over-the-counter medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen can increase your risk of stomach, cardiac, liver, and kidney issues.

Steroid injections – Just like pain meds, injections can be helpful for short term, immediate treatment of pain or swelling. Multiple injections can cause tissue damage over time, so the use is limited.

Chiropractic – To treat low back pain, chiropractors use hands-on techniques to manipulate the spine and hips and often incorporate soft tissue work, stretching, heat or cold. Contrary to popular opinion, chiropractic adjustments can involve much more (or less) than the stereotypical yank, thrust, or twist. There are over 100 types of chiropractic adjustments/techniques so there’s a style that’ll work for pretty much everyone.

Physical Therapy – A great physical therapist can help to assess and treat low back pain. Once the pain decreases and your quality of life improves again, your physical therapist can help you create a preventive routine of exercise and stretching.

Massage Therapy – Obviously, I’m a fan of massage therapy! I’ve had great results treating low back pain in my own practice. And there’s a growing body of research to support the use of massage therapy for low back pain!

This study showed that both weekly whole body Swedish massages for relaxation and weekly massages focused on the lower back and hips were able to alleviate some of the pain – at least 2 to 4 points on the pain scale. This kind of improvement is actually a bit better than the relief found in over-the-counter meds like ibuprofen.

The study also showed that these regular massage sessions can alleviate enough pain for many with chronic back pain to hit the gym for strengthening and aerobic exercise to help remove much of the pain completely.

Our goal with your regular massage sessions is to locate the source of your pain and work to lessen it. I want to help to improve your physical function and get your life back on track. I know how much lower back pain can affect your life. From physical activity to time with family to simple activities like tying your shoes or pulling laundry out of the dryer, you feel lower back pain all the time.

Let’s work together to get you on the path to freedom from lower back pain. You deserve a healthy lifestyle, free from pain. Ready to get started? Book your appointment here and let’s get started.

There are dozens and dozens of myths out there about what leads to back pain, what you should do to prevent back pain, and what kinds of treatments may resolve your back pain.

Today, I am here to tell you that you should think again about what may be causing your aches and pains and urge you to think twice about your course of treatment.

My goal as a massage therapist is to help relieve your pain. But what if many of the commonly suggested treatment solutions are ineffective at best? Throw out everything you know about back pain, and let’s take a look at some of these claims to see whether or not they stand up to science.

Have You Made Any of These Frequent Misconceptions About Posture and Pain?

You probably have heard that poor posture causes back pain. In fact, it’s likely that you heard it frequently from your parents when you were growing up as they were encouraging you to stand up straight.

And chances are you’ll find lots of experts claiming this to be true on the internet as well: chiropractors and doctors, physical therapists and personal trainers, and yes, massage therapists, all telling you the importance of posture if you’re looking to avoid or alleviate back pain.

Are all these claims really supported by facts and by experience? Should you spend time working to improve your posture if your only concern is avoiding pain and discomfort?

Take a look at this study: In examining teenagers who had sunken chests, overly arched lower backs in their younger years, one elevated hip or a deviation of the spine from the midline of the body, none of these parameters were found to be associated with lower back pain, mid-back pain or neck pain in their later years.

Perhaps you’ve heard that an increase in the arch of the lower back during pregnancy is the cause of many women’s discomfort while expecting. However, an in-depth analysis measuring the arch of the lower back in 12 healthy women during their first and third trimesters of pregnancy was conducted in order to discover if there was any truth to this myth by monitoring changes in the curvature of the spine.

The point of this study was to locate any direct correlation between postural changes and back pain. While back pain is a common occurrence for many women in pregnancy, these postural changes were not found to be the cause of back pain at all.

Overall, there is little truth to the idea that poor posture can lead to back pain, just as there is no evidence to show that we can cure back pain by changing our posture.

What You Might Not Know About Bulging Discs: Are You Aware?

Herniated discs and degenerative disc disease are both common problems that will show up on MRIs, but these structural changes may not be the actual cause of your back pain.

While many may start to consider surgery to alleviate pain, fixing these abnormalities by going under the knife actually may not give you the reprieve you’re hoping for.

Just how frequently is pain associated with bulging or degenerated discs? In one well-known study of 98 people with no back pain symptoms, 52 percent had a herniated or bulging disc at one or more levels, the rate of which increased with age. But they did not have pain symptoms that would indicate a problem or structural change in their back.

Why? Because “the discovery by MRI of bulges or protrusions in people with low back pain may frequently be coincidental.”

In fact, if you examine many major joints in the body, you are bound to find something wrong with them, pain or no pain. Whether that pain be located in the pelvis and hips or in the knees, operable joint issues may not actually be the issues.

Of course, this does not mean that herniated discs or disc degeneration don’t cause pain in some people. But just remember that many people living their lives without back pain also have bulging discs.

Working with a massage therapist to alleviate pain may be a viable option to treat your pain effectively.

Is There a Correlation Between Core Strength and Back Pain?

Another common misconception about back pain is that having a strong core is essential to having a pain-free, healthy back. But what evidence is there to support this claim?

Numerous studies have been conducted to examine whether core strengthening exercises are the solution to lower back pain. Take a look at this study, though, which found that in individuals with little abdominal muscle strength, there was no statistically significant difference between the group that was performing core strengthening exercise and back education and the group that relied on back education alone.

This study divided participants into two groups: a group of people with chronic lower back pain who received muscle control therapy and a second control group that received placebo-like treatment. The first group received outpatient physical therapy over the course of 12 weeks, with exercises designed to improve the function of specific muscles in the lower back. The second group receiving the placebo treatment had de-tuned ultrasonic therapy.

The results? This motor-control-focused exercise did help with muscle recovery but did nothing for back pain.

What we can learn from this is that while exercise is generally good for us, current evidence shows us that strengthening our core is not a magic cure-all that will free us from back pain.

So What Exactly Causes Back Pain?

If posture, bulging discs and poor abdominal strength are not the causes of back pain, then what is? If you suffer from chronic back pain, it might be frustrating to hear that these perceived causes might not be the root of your back pain woes at all.

So just what is causing your back pain? Here are a few causes that might be leading you to feel pain and discomfort in your back:

Muscle strain or injury, leading to back spasms, discomfort and even weakened muscles over time. Massage can help with this.

The large muscles in your upper back are prone to irritation, either because of a lack of strength or overuse. Massage can relieve this irritation and improve range of motion.

There are more serious causes of back pain, too. Some kinds of cancer may present as back pain and it can also be a symptom of fibromyalgia or possibly osteoarthritis, although, much like bulging discs, many people with arthritis in their back have no pain.

When should you see a doctor about your back pain?

There are a handful of red flags in regards to back pain. See your doctor right away if

You have numbness or obvious weakness anywhere in your back, hips, groin or legs or incontinence.

You fell or had an injury that involved impact.

Also, if you’ve had the pain for more than 3-4 weeks, it’s spreading or getting worse, or it’s affecting how you sleep, get checked out.

Back pain is no joke. You feel it with every move, and it affects your life in all kinds of ways.

With an accurate medical diagnosis from your healthcare provider, together we can create a healing, therapeutic massage plan to relieve your pain and get your life back on track. Ready to see how regular sessions with a massage therapist can alleviate your back pain? Let’s get in touch today so you take the first step towards a healthier, happier spine.

I’m currently caring for a fresh tattoo, a large piece that takes up most of my back. It’s my third tattoo and each time I get some new ink I get loads of questions about being able to give and receive massage while the tat is still healing.

If you’re considering getting your first tattoo, or your first large tattoo, you may be wondering how that will impact your ability to get massage and for how long.

If you’re a veteran of both tattoos and massage, you may already know everything, but if my experience of massaging people with fresh ink is any indication, you might be missing a few pieces of information.

Consider this when booking a massage after getting a tattoo

A fresh tattoo is an open wound. It’s literally thousands of small puncture wounds

You may bleed a little bit for the first 2-3 days

It takes about 2 weeks for a tattoo to stop itching and peeling

It takes 2 weeks for a tattoo to stop needing a lot of aftercare

Getting a tattoo while you’re also healing from another injury (like, I don’t know, a broken ankle. Or maybe that’s just me) can slow the healing of each

During the first two weeks of healing, it’s advised to wash and dry your hands before you touch your tattoo. Remember, it’s a wound

So, Can You Get a Massage With a New Tattoo?

If it’s a small piece: Yes, with a couple caveats. First, it must be past the stage where it might bleed. Second, we will massage everything we normally do, except for the healing tattoo and the area surrounding it for 2 weeks. After that, you’re good to go unless it still itches or is sensitive to touch

If it’s a large piece on an extremity: Maybe. It really depends how it feels and where it’s located…* A half sleeve on the lower leg or forearm could be easily avoided and not risk touching any area of your body that has massage oil on it as long as you’re past the point where it might bleed (2-3 days)* A half sleeve on your upper arm will be hard pressed to not rub up against the oil on your torso, especially if it wraps all the way around. It’s best to wait 1-2 weeks before getting massage

If it’s a small piece on your back: You’ll probably want to wait at least 1 week, possibly 2 before getting a massage and… you’ll want the back done last so the oil on the rest of your back doesn’t wick into the bottom sheet and spread to your tattoo. It needs to be comfortable to lie on for 20-40 minutes and needs to be past the uncomfortable, itchy phase of healing. The earlier you come in, the more likely it is that we’ll massage around the tattoo, so if you want you’re entire back done you’re better off waiting til the 2 week mark

If it’s a large piece on your back: You will really want to wait at least 2 weeks. That way you’ll be able to comfortably lie on it, you’ll be able to get your back massaged (it’s not a favorite area for nothing), and it won’t start itching partway through your massage

As for massaging with a fresh tat, it depends where it is. When I had my forearms done, I just didn’t do any massage with my forearms while the tattoo healed. My back piece requires me to not wear a bra for about 2 weeks, so during that time you’ll find me wearing more casual, baggy shirts in the office.

Do you have other questions about tattoos and massage? Be sure to ask me in the comments below.

Was 2019 a challenging year for you? It was for many people, myself included. But that’s nothing new. Every year brings challenges, some are just more comfortable than others. You’ve been dealing with the challenge of Uncle Bigot all your life so he’s less challenging than say all of your appliances futzing out in the same year. But still… wouldn’t just one year without an uncomfortable challenge be nice?

If you’re the introspective type, like I am, you’ve probably already thought pretty deeply about each of your challenges. Things like: How did it affect your outlook on life? How did it affect who you are as a person and how you make your way through the world? Were there any silver linings? If so, what were they? Is there anything about this challenge that changed your perspective in a way that will help you deal with future challenges differently or more effectively.

Things I Learned From 2019’s Challenges

There is never a good time for life to throw you a curveball – We often decry the timing of one of life’s challenges, but really… is there any time that you’d really welcome one? That said, while there are no good times, there are worse times, such as when you’re already dealing with a ginormous challenge or three.

Everything is relative – When life seems to be throwing you nothing but curveballs, even small challenges seem huge. Just knowing this can make dealing with the smaller ones a bit easier.

You are stronger than you think – Some challenges may seem insurmountable, but you manage to get through them somehow. You may not be able to say just how you did it, but you did. The simple reason is that the alternative isn’t much of an alternative. That doesn’t mean that things turn out the way you want, or that you come out unscathed, but it does mean you make it through.

Where there’s a will, there’s a way – It’s amazing what you can do when you’re forced to find a new way to do things. You’ll find a way, because you have to. It may not be pretty (like when I moved my laundry basket between my car and office while on crutches) but you’ll find a way to make it work, even if that means asking someone else to help.

Priorities are relative – Your normal priorities will likely go right out the window when you’re facing a major life challenge. Let them. Prioritize the things you need to, not the things you want to. When the challenge has passed, you can reprioritize the things you used to. If you find they’re as important as they used to be.

There is no such thing as normal – Instead, normal is more like Michigan roads… Always under construction. Or like language… constantly evolving. After a big life challenge, rarely will (or should) normal go back to its pre-challenge condition. Challenges change us whether we want them to or not. Trying to go back to an old normal is a guaranteed exercise in futility, frustration, and stress. When all is said and done, we’re better off letting our new normal change as it will. It may take some getting used to, but pining for the way it used to be will only make you miserable.

Gratitude will bring much needed perspective to life’s challenges – In the last 8 years, my husband and I have each lost both of our parents. While each of the experiences was quite different, the last 3 deaths had one thing in common: We had a formal gratitude practice in place. Our formal practice takes the form of a gratitude jar, and every year we read all the slips of paper from it on New Years Eve. We had a lot of bittersweet gratitude those years. You might be wondering what you could have to be grateful for when a parent dies, but it’s there if you look for it. A few examples: Support from people you never expected, forging a closer bond with remaining family members, and getting to know someone on a much deeper level before they died. If there is gratitude or silver linings to be found in the death of a close family member, you can find it in just about any challenge.

Hopefully at least one of these resonates with you and helps you the next time life throws you a big ole curveball. In the meantime, I hear massage is a pretty good way to get some stress relief.

]]>https://newyewhealing.com/a-few-lessons-from-2019/feed/07308Can You Still Get a Massage if You’re Injured/Broken?https://newyewhealing.com/can-you-still-get-a-massage-if-youre-injured-broken/ Thu, 05 Dec 2019 15:00:00 +0000https://newyewhealing.com/?p=7294

So you broke your ankle (oh, wait… that’s me), or arm, or leg, or dislocated your shoulder. Or maybe you sprained or tore something, or had surgery. Your body probably hurts in places you didn’t injure as a result of using splints, braces, crutches, knee scooters, or other mobility aids, or possibly from tightening your muscles due to actual or anticipated pain. Can you still get a massage?

Well, it depends. (You knew I was gonna say that didn’t you?) It depends what is injured, broken, or bears recent surgical scars. It depends how it’s injured. It depends what your doctor says, if you’re still under a doctor’s care. It depends on a lot of things.

This is a question I’ve been wrestling with myself since breaking my ankle. I could really use a massage right now, but I haven’t gotten one yet for lots of reasons. I figured that if I wrestled with this question, you might too.

Below is a list of things to consider when deciding whether to book that massage now, or to wait a while.

Can you safely and easily get into your therapists office and use the restroom? – Are there access ramps if you need them? What about elevators? Is there a really long trek from the parking area to where their office is? If it’s winter, is there adequate snow and ice removal? These are all things you need to consider before making that appointment.

Can you get on and off the massage table? – If this is a temporary injury, you’re probably best waiting until you can. If you have a permanent condition like paraplegia, Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis, etc., talk to your therapist. Some have hydraulic tables which can lower enough for you to get on in privacy (also useful for temporary injuries), some will have other accommodations available, and some specialize in clients with mobility issues.

Can you turn over when you’re on the massage table? – This is huge. Massage tables are narrow. In fact, they’re narrower than a twin bed. You need to be able to pretty much roll over in place or you’ll roll right off the table and either re-injure yourself or injure another part.

Can you tolerate laying in the same position long enough to get a massage? – Be honest. Do you find yourself frequently shifting position because of pain or discomfort? Is it injury pain or discomfort from having to sit, stand, lay in a different way to accommodate your injury? If it’s the latter, massage might be good for you. But… if part of it is due to the injury, you’ll want to have an honest conversation with your therapist as well as your doctor to find out if massage is a good idea at the moment.

Will the bolstering your therapist uses cause pressure to your injury either directly or indirectly? – For instance, is your ankle broken? Will the bolster under your ankles when you’re face down put pressure on your injury? If so, you should wait.

Can you comfortably get a massage with out the bolsters? – If you forego the bolster under your broken ankle, are you able/allowed to have your toes pointed for long periods of time? Or if you’re still in a cast or splint, will the pressure on the toes cause pressure on your break? You need to consider all these things.

Are you taking prescription pain meds? – Some prescription pain meds will impair your ability to feel if your therapist is using too much pressure, and not just on or near your injury. You could end up with bruises because you couldn’t feel that the therapist was a bit too zealous in trying to get that “knot” out. Depending on the type and amount of pain meds you’re taking, you may want to postpone getting a massage. Talk to your doctor or massage therapist if you really want to get a massage before your prescription is finished, or if you’ll be on the meds long term. Seriously. Do you really want bruises on your arm(s) when you have to use crutches to get around?

Does the slightest touch or jostle send your pain through the roof? – Kind of a silly question, but it needs to be asked. If this describes you, getting a massage will likely be an exercise in frustration for both your and your therapist. Please wait to get a massage.

But what if another area is in pain from overuse because of the injury? – There may be time or position accommodations that your therapist can make if they’re only working on one area. Ultimately, it will be a decision you need to come to with your massage therapist, as well as your doctor.

If you’re going to have a good massage experience after an injury or surgery, you need to consider these things and be honest about your tolerances and abilities. There’s nothing to be gained from trying to appear stronger or healthier than you really are.

Hopefully you can now get the massage you want and need at time that it’ll benefit you most!

Back in July I wrote about my rationale and excitement for taking a week off to take a dissection class this October. (Click here to read it, if you haven’t already.) I was gone from Sunday October 6 through Sunday October 13, so I’ve been back just over a week now. I promised to tell you about the highlights, minus gory details, when I got back, so here I am trying to collect my thoughts into something coherent enough to publish.

What a Week!

First off, let me say that my week-long dissection class was amazing, awe-inspiring, surprisingly emotional, mentally and physically exhausting, and chock full of surprises. Annndddd… I can’t wait to be able to take another one!

Second, lemme just say that Colorado Springs has some absolutely beautiful scenery like Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods. Next time, I’m going to stay a couple extra days so I can spend time walking the trails and climbing the “hills.” I hear there are fantastic homemade donuts at or near the top of one of the mountain peaks, or maybe it was on a plateau partway up. Either way, I view fresh mountain top donuts the way I view fresh orchard donuts in apple season… the first one has no fat, sugar, or calories, so I’m definitely gonna be getting me one of those next time as well.

Lessons Learned

Oh my god, I learned sooo much that if I don’t set some limits I might never finish this. If I’m honest some of what I learned is deeply personal to my emotional and mental self so imma keep that to myself. Also, some of it would just be gross to most of you and I promised no gore. So, here are the top 10 things I learned, that I think might also be interesting to you.

Scars don’t look the way you think they will under the surface – You’d think that the thick, uneven areas of your scars are going to be thick and uneven all the way through, but that’s not the case at all. Some layers, like the adipose and superficial fascia just under the skin, can have a surprising lack of scar tissue, no matter how thick and uneven it is on the surface. When one layer transitions to the next, scars will often spread out instead of staying a nice distinct line through the body.

Tattoos don’t look the way you think they will under the surface either – Some of them are visible on the superficial fascia after you’ve removed the skin, some go through to the underside of the skin but no further, and some only penetrate the epidermis or the outer layer of skin. Also, a tattoo that’s faded on the surface is likely just as bright as the day you got it when viewed from the underside.

One of your abdominal muscles (transversus abdominis) intertwines its fibers with the fibers of your diaphragm – They don’t just attach to the same place like the anatomy books show, the fibers of these two muscles actually enmesh with one another. This means that this muscle, which runs horizontal on either side of your abdomen, is more instrumental in your breathing than you likely thought. So it’s even more important to let your belly expand when you’re breathing because if this muscle doesn’t do it’s thing fully, it can inhibit your diaphragm from fully functioning as well.

Your organs might not be in the exact place that the anatomy books show – They might be higher, lower, farther left/right, or rotated from their “normal” position. There were two cadavers in my class and both of them (Both!) had intestines that were rotated in such a way that the ascending colon didn’t ascend (i.e. go straight up the right side) and the transverse colon didn’t go straight across the top of the abdomen. Instead, they looked more like a hill with the each one moving diagonally through the body.

Your organs might not be the same size or shape as shown in the anatomy books – They might be bigger or smaller than they’re “supposed to be.” One of our cadavers had a multi-lobed lived – instead of the normal 2 lobes, it had lots of small and medium sized lobes. It looked like nothing any of us had ever seen, but it didn’t show any sign of disease… not that any of us were doctors, but the tissue looked healthy and all the ducts and vessels were present connecting it to all the things it needed to be connected to.

Your muscles aren’t as clearly defined as anatomy drawings would have you believe – Ok, some of them are very clearly defined. But some of them aren’t. And most of them aren’t lying in distinct, easily moveable bundles. Instead, they’re spread out on top of, or underneath, other muscles. Some of them are stuck to nearby muscles and connective tissue. Sometimes it just looks like a big jumble of indistinct muscle tissue.

There’s a reason it feels so good to have your ears massaged and pulled (gently of course) – When you gently pull on the ears, the dura, which is a membrane that wraps around the brain, moves with them. If you’ve ever thought that ear massage felt a bit like your brain was also getting a massage, you’re not far off.

The curves we humans are so fond of are all made of fat – Of course you know that breasts are formed primarily of fat and that fat is what gives them their pleasing size and shape. But did you know that your bum shape has nothing to do with the buttload (couldn’t help myself – SorryNotSorry) of muscle in each cheek. Despite anatomy books often depicting the gluteus maximus as rounded on the bottom, it’s not. It’s straight and flat across the bottom, so… the curve at the bottom of each cheek comes from fat. For that matter, so does the roundness and fullness of each cheek. Yes, there are a lot of muscles in each cheek, but many of them are so deep that you can’t even palpate them. Even the glorious gluteus maximus will leave you with a rather flat backside if there isn’t any fat on top of it.

You can’t tell by looking at someone’s outside, what their insides are like – We have no idea what the people who once inhabited these bodies were like, but whatever we imagined from looking at them at the beginning of the first day was radically different from what we found. The male looked strong and healthy on the outside but inside had emphysema and cirrhosis of the liver. Aren’t people who have emphysema and cirrhosis weak and frail at the end of their life? Maybe not. Or maybe weak and strong are relative terms and this man was weak compared to his once healthy self.

There are no answers, only more questions – As we explored our body in search of answers, we often found that one answer led to several more questions. Did the woman know that her liver was misshapen? Did it function optimally or only enough to get by? Did she know she had a tumor wrapping almost all the way around her windpipe? Did she know that it was wrapped around several other nearby structures as well. Did that have a noticeable impact on how any of the structures functioned? Did the tumor play any part in her death? Was her death caused by her collapsed lung? Was her collapsed lung caused by her emphysema or something else? See what I mean?

This class took a different approach to dissection than is typically taught in universities or found in text books. Instead of dissecting systemically (to see all the structures of a specific body system) or regionally (to see all the structures in a given area), we dissected the body by layers. This gave us a whole new perspective on the human body and allowed us to view relationships between systems and regions that are normally cut through or ignored. It was a great way to increase our awe and reverence for the human form.

Does Lavender Essential Oil Really Help Heal Burns?

Short answer: YesLonger answer: Absolutely, 100%, has never failed me

My Worst Burns (Scalds)

Twice in my life I’ve had the misfortune of pouring boiling water on one part of my body or another. The first time, I was pouring boiling water from a saucepan into my teacup and missed, thereby scalding* my entire left hand. (I wasn’t home and didn’t have access to a kettle, which I obvs prefer, but wasn’t willing to go without my morning cuppa.) The second time I was attempting to naturally kill any remaining plant roots in a recently ripped up flower bed when I tripped and sloshed boiling water on my right hand and foot. Lemme just say, “Ouch!”*a burn caused by liquid or steam is technically called a scald

Both times I treated the burn initially with cold water followed by lavender essential oil. Both times, I ventured from the conventional treatment and mostly soaked my hand and/or foot because running water made the burn hurt worse, and also because circumstances didn’t allow me to stand at a sink for 20 (or even 5) minutes whenever the burning sensation came back, which was generally within minutes of taking it out of the cold water. Each time, I ended up having no lasting effects from what would have easily been 2nd degree burns…you know, the ones that blister.

All Lavenders Do Not Appear to be Equal for All Applications

This should not be new information to you. Last year I wrote a post called, It’s Lavender Season, where I not only touted all the great things lavender essential oil can do but also highlighted a few of the differences between oils from lavender plants grown in various locations.

Today, I’m going to tell you the story of 2 lavender essential oils, a high altitude Bulgarian and an Organic French (meaning the plants used to make the oils were grown in Bulgaria and France respectively) , and how they each fared in treating my most recent burn.

Organic French

I keep a small bottle of French lavender** essential oil in my medicine chest at home for treating wounds and minor burns. This is the first oil I used on my burn. **There was no particular reason for choosing French for my medicine chest other than it was available in the size bottle I wanted when I ordered.

Unfortunately, I burned myself about 10 minutes before I was supposed to leave for work, but I still treated it with cold water for about 15 minutes, then applied the lavender oil. It worked like a charm to diminsh the redness, pain, and burning sensation – it IS an anti-inflammatory and an analgesic, after all. The burn was bad enough, however, that the pain came roaring back a little later.

High Altitude Bulgarian

By the time the pain came back, I was on my way to work hoping to get there before my first client. As soon as I arrived I applied some more lavender oil; this time a high altitude Bulgarian***, from the bag of oils I keep there. It worked ok, but not as well as the French had worked earlier. Sadly, I didn’t make it through the whole work day. I kept an ice pack in the therapy room to steal touches of to keep the pain at bay, and soaked my hand in cold water between clients. I know you’re not supposed to use ice on a burn, but I was desperate and only used it intermittently for a few seconds to a minute at a time. Anyway, the burning sensation wasn’t dying down as well as I’d expected so I cancelled the rest of the day and went home where I could treat my burns with cold water and lavender continuously. ***There is a particular reason I have Bulgarian oil at work. It has a high level of linalyl acetate which makes it incredibly relaxing and therefore excellent for stressed out massage clients.

Back to French

Once I was home, I was back to using the French lavender. The first application of oil after getting home resulted in the second biggest improvement since getting burned. The biggest improvement was the first application of French lavender that I used right away.

One thing that research has shown is that antioxidants play a role in healing burns. So, it’s possible that the antioxidants present in lavender essential are at least partially responsible for it’s ability to help heal burns. The percentage of chemical constituents in lavender essential oil that have antioxidant properties varies, in part, by the country of origin of the plants distilled.

To test my theory, I went to DropSmith, an amazing aromatherapy resource that publishes the chemical breakdown of the oils in its catalogue as well as any research that’s been done on those constituents. (Note: not all of the constituents have research associated with them, so all of the properties aren’t known.) I chose a French lavender and a Bulgarian lavender from the same company and compared their antioxidant levels based on their chemical constituents.

Now, this doesn’t mean that the Kashmiri lavender that I keep by my bed to help me sleep isn’t better than the French at treating burns, it simply means I didn’t try it. But I did go through its chemical list and add up the percentage of constituents with antioxidant properties; it comes out to 77.96%. Turns out, it’s smack dab between the French and Bulgarian. Maybe I’ll be switching from Bulgarian to Kashmiri lavender at work, since I already know the Kashmiri has a more relaxing effect, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have one that’s better at treating burns (or other wounds) there… just in case.

To Sum Up

France certainly seems to be the superior source for lavender if you’re going to be treating burns or other wounds. Bulgaria grows a decent lavender for this purpose as well, just not as good as the French. By the numbers, Kashmiri lavender ranks second, but it didn’t take the practical exam so it’s second place ranking is only theoretical. I would love to put it to a practical test one day, but maybe someone else will volunteer to be the guinea pig because I’ve had enough burns to be getting on with.

Most of us are familiar with the sensation of a headache. The location, cause, and severity can differ, but we all agree that headaches hurt!

When you have a headache, it’s hard to function normally until you find relief. That’s why there are so many techniques for treating headaches. Not all of these techniques are reliable, however. Some only work for certain types of headaches, others are more myth than medical fact.

Tension headaches are one of the most common types of headaches and are experienced by almost half of all people. That’s a lot of head pain.

Do you tend to clench your jaw or grind your teeth at night? Yup, that can lead to tension headaches. Or maybe you ‘hold your stress’ in your shoulders. Bingo, that can trigger a tension headache, too. And sitting at a desk leaning into a computer all day? Well, I think you know where I’m going with this.

For many of these aching heads, massage therapy is an effective treatment for tension headaches. And it’s not just about coming to see me at the office, there are plenty of self-help massage techniques you can handle on your own.

How Do I Know If I Have a Tension Headache?

Well, you might not be able to accurately diagnose a tension headache. “Tension headache” is a bit of a catchall phrase for any non-threatening and unexplained headache, but we know that many headaches are caused by tension in the body.

Tension or tightness in your muscles or connective tissues can cause pain and discomfort that is different from the neurological pain of other headaches like migraines. Because of how muscles are interconnected, you can have tension within a muscle that causes pain elsewhere in the body.

In massage therapy, we call these knots trigger points. You can have a trigger point in your neck, face, or shoulders and experience “referral pain” in your head as a tension headache.

How Can I Relieve Tension Headaches?

When your head hurts, your instinct might be to soothe it, but there’s a good chance that it’s not your head that needs attention. If we understand that many tension headaches originate from trigger points in other body parts, we can treat our headaches at the true source of the problem.

Many people find headache relief by massaging common trigger points in their jaw, neck, and shoulders. Massage manipulates and loosens tight soft tissues in the body, allowing them to relax and relieve any uncomfortable tension.

Self-massage is an easy, all-natural method that can relieve a tension headache without any specialized training or tools. Some people with chronic headaches, however, may benefit more from professional massages.

How Do I Give Myself a Massage for Headaches?

The next time you suffer a tension headache, try self-massage to alleviate the pain (warning: it’s a long article with lots of info about lots of types of headaches before getting to the self-massage part). I’ll walk you through the steps here, and with some practice, you may find this is your new favorite technique for headache relief!

Feel around your shoulders with fingers and thumbs looking for sensitive or aching spots in your muscle tissue. This can take some practice, but just do your best until you get the hang of it.

When you find a sore spot, either press and hold or gently knead the spot with circular motions or strokes for 10-100 seconds until you feel the spot kind of “release.” Start gently, and then gradually increase pressure. You don’t want to hurt yourself!

If you’re not finding trigger points in your shoulders, try your temples, jaw muscles, or the muscles just below the back of your skull.

Massaging trigger points like this loosens them up and should relieve that painful tension. I assure you, anyone can do this. If you are struggling, practice two to three times a day until you start seeing results. If you still aren’t getting the hang of it and continue to experience tension headaches, consider seeing a professional massage therapist to provide some relief and tips for self-massage.

While we massage therapists are still exploring the use and efficacy of trigger point massage for tension headaches, many people find the results are worth paying a professional. And even if massage does not help your headaches, you may find that the soothing experience of a massage is a nice tradeoff while you seek other headache relief.

Shameless plug: If you’re in West Michigan, you can always schedule a massage with me to find out if massage is right for your headache.

Some people insist that within each challenge and crisis is a lesson you need to learn, as if the crisis is somehow your fault for not having learned the lesson earlier. I call BS. But just because it’s not our fault doesn’t mean that we can’t learn something from these situations. Actually, we can learn something from just about every situation, if we’re paying attention.

So Genius… Gonna Share?

First, I’m not a genius. It’s just that I’ve been trying to pay attention when I, or loved ones, have a challenge and crisis in our lives… Because there’s no use making the same mistakes twice.

What I’ve learned from others

Who says you can’t learn from others mistakes and missteps? Not me.

Use Your words – No one knows what you need if you don’t actually say it. Don’t make broad or cryptic comments and expect people to know what you need. Don’t make statements about your problems and expect people to offer to help you. If you need help… ask for what you need and be specific.

Don’t assume – This is hard, but so important. Don’t assume anything about: 1) other people’s motives, 2) that someone will offer/do something just because you would, 3) that others know what you want or need, or that 4) others have the time or energy to do what you want or need.

Take care of yourself – Every person on this planet has got a full plate just taking care of themselves and their immediate household. If you won’t at least try to take care of yourself, why would someone else step up and do it for you?

Improving Life Skills

Better time management – Nothing will force you to better manage your time than a life challenge that limits the amount you have to spend on your normal everyday activities. The sooner you embrace the notion that, for now, you have less time to spend on your favorite games or other time-killing activities, the less frustrated you’ll be. When the crisis is over, you’ll find that this new productivity allows you to have more time for hobbies, exercise, or even naps.

Boundaries – After a while, you learn that you can’t do everything yourself and you can’t be everything to everyone. If you don’t learn to set, and hold, boundaries you’re going to burn out quickly. Boundaries allow you to have time for self-care, which is vital if you want to make it through the challenge in one piece. They also allow you peace of mind and banish your need to beat yourself up for doing too much because you don’t take on more than you can chew.

Prioritizing – While in the midst of a life challenge or crisis, it doesn’t do to project into the future or try to recapture or ruminate over the past. At times like this, there are only 2 questions that matter. The single most important question is “what is the next thing that needs to be done?” If you don’t ask yourself this question first, you may get hung up on the next question which is, “What’s the most important thing that needs to be done.” Sometimes the next thing that needs to be done isn’t the most important, but it has to be done now, or very soon. The most important thing is often a biggie that will bog you down and keep you from seeing the smaller things that aren’t as big but are still required. Sometimes the next thing that needs to be done is investigation or prep work for the most important thing. You may literally have to take things minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day for a while. If you can manage this method of prioritizing while in a crisis, I promise it will pay countless rewards in your normal, everyday life when the crisis is over.

Cut the clutter – Now is a great time to get off those email lists you don’t read anymore. It’s also a great time to give yourself permission to not keep up on all the horrifying details of all the horrifying headlines that assault us all on a daily basis, unless your job requires you to know those details.

Emotionally Important Lessons

The things people say and do have nothing to do with you – It may feel otherwise but ask yourself this, “Do I say or do things just because I know a certain person will be inconvenienced, upset, or otherwise made unhappy?” If not, remember that. If so, you may want to address your passive aggressive tendencies, because they’re not making you any friends or helping you get your needs met in a way that’s not full of strife.

You must have a safe emotional outlet – Talk to a trusted friend or family member about what’s going on in your life. Make sure it’s someone who can/will be objective, empathetic, discreet, and compassionate without trying to fix things for you. Those people can be hard to come by, so if you can’t think of someone like that in your life, go see a professional counselor. It’s hard to understand just how much a counselor can help you get a handle on things until you go the first time. They can give you a necessary perspective that’s hard to obtain on your own when you’re in the thick of things.

If you’re going through a difficult time now or will be going through a difficult time in the future (Hint: You will), know this: You’re not the first one to deal with whatever it is, and you won’t be the last. Take whatever wisdom you can get from those who’ve gone before, then pass along your own wisdom to those who come after.